Danica must keep feat in perspective

LAS VEGAS

Danica Patrick made history Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Expectations have been high for the superstar driver since her high-profile decision to race in both NASCAR and IndyCar starting last year. She had her share of growing pains, but so far in Year 2 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, she’s succeeding — with the pinnacle so far being her historic fourth-place run in Las Vegas, a record for a female in NASCAR.

But for the sake of her career, Saturday’s result shouldn’t lead to unrealistic expectations.

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No, this is not meant to bash her performance in Las Vegas. What Patrick did in Saturday’s 200-lap event should be celebrated. Coming back from two laps down to finish fourth is quite a feat.

The fact that she combined with her team to have the best cumulative time on pit road shows that she’s becoming comfortable with pitting — something that could not be said last year and is difficult for any driver who is used to lighter open-wheel cars. And the communication she had with her crew shows she’s learning what it takes for her stock car to perform to the best of its ability.

Yes, the best car in the race was taken out in an accident. And yes, she was helped late in the race when fuel mileage forced six drivers inside the top 10 to pit late. But that’s NASCAR racing, and she capitalized on it like any top driver would for a great result.

That said, she’s still only a rookie.

She may be among the most popular drivers in NASCAR, selling the amount of merchandise that others in the premier Sprint Cup division can only dream of, but Saturday’s race was still only her 16th career Nationwide Series start — less than half of this year’s 34-race schedule.

“I never want to use that as an excuse, but I have to use it to keep my own expectations in check because I get mad when I don’t do well,” Patrick said. “That’s what I’m here to do.

“Those statistics are important for me to remind myself, and through the process reminding everybody else that this isn’t my second year. ... This is my 16th race. I’m not even halfway through a season yet. It’s good to keep that in mind. I’ll take the good days when they come, and I’ll still be frustrated with the bad ones, but it’ll keep my expectations more appropriate for the position I am in right now.”

That’s important to remember, particularly after this achievement. Look at NASCAR darling Trevor Bayne. Just a few weeks ago, he captured the sport’s imagination when he won the Daytona 500 in just his second career Sprint Cup start. But one week later, he wrecked in his first practice lap of the race weekend, then crashed again in the race.

Does that mean that Bayne is a fluke, as some would claim Patrick to be if she struggles in her next start at Bristol in two weeks? No, it means he’s a novice on the Cup circuit, and he still has to learn.

Don’t be surprised if Bayne has more growing pains in the next few weeks, particularly with tougher racetracks like Bristol and Martinsville on the horizon. But that’s to be expected from him.

And that’s to be expected from Patrick as well.

She has shown dramatic improvement in her three NASCAR races so far this year — 14th at Daytona, 17th at Phoenix and fourth in Vegas — but those were her second trips to each of those circuits.

At Bristol, she will be making her debut not only at the venue, but on a short track (her smallest tracks to date have been Phoenix and New Hampshire, both a mile in distance). After that, the challenge will be even greater, as she will compete five times during the IndyCar season (Chicagoland on June 4, Daytona on July 1, Montreal on Aug. 20, Richmond on Sept. 9 and Kansas on Oct. 8), which doesn’t allow her to build up continuity inside the cockpit.

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After her tough first year in NASCAR, Patrick readjusted her expectations. Saturday’s results shouldn’t change that. If all the rumors are true, and she does choose to drive full-time in NASCAR in the near future (she’s in a contract year with both her NASCAR and IndyCar deals), she has a long career ahead of her.

But if she wants to succeed, she needs to continue taking things one race at a time rather than getting overwhelmed by expectations.

“We just had a good car, that's all I can say. That's what makes a difference in these things,” Patrick said after Saturday’s race. “I know I haven't had the best results, especially in NASCAR, but we're getting them now.

“I don't think about trying to achieve the highest finish position for a female. I think about trying to win the race. If I make history, so be it.”

That’s the type of approach that will help her get even better results than her record-breaking accomplishment in Las Vegas.